Beaches
by Anna-cl
Summary: After an unsuccessful stint with his foster family, Edward Cullen is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in North Carolina. It isn't long before 'it' girl Isabella Swan catches his eye, but a troubled past leaves a scar- Edward knows this only too well.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters...**_

**AN: Hello! So this is my first story, and it's really a hit and miss, I came across the idea for the story the other night, and I just thought, why the hell not... Just a warning though, if any of you live in or have been to North Carolina, my description of the area is probably horribly inaccurate, because I've never been, I just got the idea of the location from 'The Last Song', and thought it would be a really good setting- so if you do know the place, I'm sorry! It won't be anything like the real thing! Please let me know what you think though!**

**This story is mostly going to be EPOV by the way, seeing as he is the main character.  
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><p>Sadly, it was not the most fortunate of circumstances that brought me back to the familiar area of Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington, North Carolina. A quiet, weather worn town, the coastal buildings were constantly battered by the sea during the winter months, enduring the harsh winds that rolled in off the North Atlantic. Yet it still stood strong. Ever since I was a child, I had visited Wrightsville, and had, in my early childhood, considered there to be no better place. But I was now 17, to be starting my senior year at Wilmington Central High School, where my cousin Emmett also attended. I hadn't been down to this part of the US for a good five years, having spent a good year of that time hauled up in some rich brat penthouse in New York with my was-then foster family. Funnily enough, they were the unfortunate incident that had resulted in my arrival of Wrightsville Beach.<p>

Nathan and Victoria Windsor had always seemed to have deep, unresolved issues themselves, and that had had some severe consequences on their daughter, Annabelle. Constantly seeking attention, she had pulled some truly outrageous stunts throughout her adolescent years. Being her "step brother", although we were more friends than sibling, she had dragged me in to more than one of her escapades, and eventually, when Annabelle had managed to sabotage Nathan's new partnership with what was to be an extremely important client, he decided he had to intervene. I, unfortunately, got the blame however, resulting in the Windsor's giving up my guardianship, and shipping me off to my aunt and uncle's. It was unsurprising after the stunt Annabelle had pulled, that neither Nathan nor Victoria would want me living under the same roof as her, and seeing as she was their biological daughter, and I had only been there a year, it seemed the sensible option.

Which left me here: North Carolina. I wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement. My heart was still in New York, my birth place, where I had lived with my parents, where my friends were. But seeing as my behaviour had taken a turn for the worse these past few years, it did seem unlikely that many would be queuing up to foster me, and at 17, it was quite old to be going back into care. Here, Esme had demanded I move in with her and Carlisle, not liking the trauma that she assumed I would be put through going through the care system once again.

Sighing, I drove down the quiet roads as the sky lit up in spectacular orange, the sun sinking down below the waters of the Atlantic off on the horizon. I had been driving since around eight thirty this morning, and it was now twenty to nine. Having been on the road for over 12 hours, I was exhausted.

With the end in sight, I stepped on the gas harder, cursing to myself when I nearly ran in to a group of teenagers stood in the road just round the corner. Startled, they turned in unison to look through the front window of the car, missing the role of my eyes behind my raybans, but not the mutter of some of my finest swears. I remembered this road well, and it was the main road people used to go down to the beach, although most people chose to walk right down the middle of the road, seeing as it was only wide enough for one car to fit through at a time, meaning few cars used it. I probably should have remembered to watch out for pedestrians.

I held my hand up in apology as the group moved to the side of the road, two of the boys dragging surfboards with them. Once the way was clear, I stepped hard on the gas again, although I made sure to slow down whenever I came across any corners. Eventually, once I was close to the beach, and darkness was starting to set in, I reached the gravel track down to Esme and Carlisle's. I made sure my window was wound shut as I set off down the road, not wanting to inhale a face full of dust that was no doubt likely to come drifting through my window from the track. It was only thirty seconds, until I finally reached my destination. It was a typical North Carolina beach house, considerably large, and just a two minute walk off the beach, so it did have some privacy.

Large windows lit up the front and back of the house, with decking and a porch wrapping round the exterior. There were three floors, and the house was wide, spreading out a good distance across the front. Being a quiet, safe neighbourhood, the cars belonging to my family were parked up front in the wide space that opened up at the end of the gravel track. I parked my car up alongside Esme's silver Audi, finally switching off the car engine of my exhausted vehicle.

I felt a weird sense of relief as I gazed up at the house in front of me, as well as a rush of memories from the road trips I had taken with my parents to visit this place. Sighing, I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat, clicking off the new messages that had popped up on screen. Rebecca _again_- one of Annabelle's annoying friends who seemed to have some strange infatuation with me.

Opening the car door, I couldn't help the smile that stretched its way across my face as the sea air hit me. The small of sea salt and the nearby vegetation, as well as the unmistakable smell of summer wafted over me, and I had to force myself to move and get my suitcase out from the back seat that had my overnight stuff in it (the rest could wait until the morning) and not run down to the beach now. That would have to wait until the morning too, I was too tired.

Dragging my suitcase up to the house, and then up the steps that led to the porch, I paused to breathe, before ringing the bell.

Almost immediately, I heard footsteps marching from the direction I knew the kitchen to be, and not two seconds later, the front door flew open.

"Edward," Esme exclaimed, stepping forward to engulf me in a hug. I returned the gesture, which felt quite bizarre, seeing as the last time this had happened, I was _not_ a good head taller than her. "My God you've grown!" She marvelled, taking a step back from me to get a good luck.

I was currently 6" foot tall, and reasonably toned, which was no doubt evident from my grey t-shirt that was loose, but still managed to cling in certain areas. My bronze hair was as messy as ever, and being stuck in a humid car all day certainly didn't help that.

Esme, on the other hand, hadn't changed one bit. She had always been slim, and her long, caramel hair reached down to her mid back, framing her heart shaped face. She was sporting a wide smile, her brown eyes sparkling. She was dressed in loose dark trousers and a white shirt, a heavy diamond hanging off her neck, no doubt a gift from Carlisle. They seemed to have infinite amounts of money.

"You haven't," I teased her, flashing her my signature grin. She huffed in false annoyance, never having liked the fact she wasn't particularly tall.

"I wasn't expecting any of that until tomorrow morning, I didn't think you'd have the energy," she beckoned me inside.

The house had a warm vibe to it, and the oak floor and cream walls that Esme had chosen when they first moved sill there. There was a large light over head, and there were two doors on each side of the entrance foyer. Straight ahead was the staircase leading up to the first level, carpeted a darker cream shade, with a turn in step as the staircase moved in the left direction, being against the back wall. There was a dark wooden chest to my right where mail was kept, with place for shoes and coats just next to it, and a large gold mirror just above. There were also many photos of family, spread all across the walls. Something I had missed when living in another family's home. Although my mind was trying to be stubborn, maybe there wasn't anywhere I would rather be right now...

"I don't think any of us are ever too tired for that Mom," a voice called from the entrance to the kitchen as Emmett stepped out.

He had definitely grown. He was a good 6" 2, with dark brown curly hair, and by God was he ripped! I looked down at my own arms, feeling slightly ashamed I hadn't taken more advantage of the Windsor's gym.

"Hey Emmett," I grinned as he leaned comfortably against the kitchen door frame, watching in amusement as Esme's mouth spread in to a thin line.

"Hey cuz," Emmett grinned back. "Good to see you, you don't look too... good, though..."

I snorted, "Always the charmer, Em."

"Oh he's _quite_ the charmer, Edward." Esme frowned. "Emmett if I come home and find you and Rosalie Hale or some other girl in your room _one _more time-"

Emmett cut her off, flushing pink. "Won't happen Mom."

"You're just lucky it wasn't your father!" She scalded. She beckoned me in further, taking my suitcase from me and placing it at the foot of the stairs.

I resisted the urge to cringe at the topic of conversation, 'being caught' being the reason I had got myself sent here in the first place, although Esme and Emmett were too tactful to apply the subject to me.

They bantered at each other through to the kitchen, surgically clean, white cupboards and dark granite surfaces. There was a large island in the centre, and the window, now obscured with horizontal blinds, in the day time would give a view of the dunes leading to the beach.

The delicious smell of Spaghetti and meatballs was almost too much as Esme then ushered me in to a stool at the island, then moved to serve me food that had been kept warm in the oven.

"Sorry we're not having a sit down meal or anything, Carlisle won't be home until 2, he's got a late shift at the hospital, and Emmett didn't get in long ago either, so I didn't think we'd be eating together..."

I shook my head. "This is perfect, Esme, thankyou."

She smiled, leaning forward on the opposite side of the island as I took a mouthful, and tried to not moan. A look of satisfaction crossed her face.

Emmett joined Esme on her side of the island.

"Edward, you remember how to surf right?"

I swallowed my mouthful of Spaghetti before answering. "Erm, I'm sure I can pick it up again, we went last summer when we were in Hawaii but the waves weren't so good."

Emmett's eyes bugged. "Dude, you were the best by a mile when you came down last time, you must have been getting in practice."

I rolled my eyes. "What was I supposed to do, surf up the Hudson?"

He pulled a face. "Fair play- anyway, I've been down there the last few days, we've still got a spare board if you wanna' go down tomorrow? Not until the afternoon though, I mean, you really do look like you could use the lie in..."

I smirked. "I see you've still not managed to teach him tact, Esme..."

She shook her head. "One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to land you in to real trouble, Emmett Cullen."

He laughed. "That's what these are for." Emmett flexed his muscles.

I raised an eyebrow. "What if they're 'armed and dangerous'?"

Emmett snorted. "Please, this is Wrightsville we're talking about; don't go all New Yorker on me with your mob stories again."

"I told you that story when I was seven..."

"Yeah..."

"That was ten years ago, you still haven't forgotten..."

Emmett pulled a face. "Yeah well, it freaked me out, we don't get any of that shit down here-"

"-Language." Esme interrupted, having turned to do the dishes, but evidently eavesdropping.

"I didn't mean to give you nightmares Emmy-bear." I teased, using the nickname Esme and my Mom had used for him when he was about five.

Emmett grinned at me, but flashed me the middle finger whilst he was sure Esme wasn't looking, causing me to laugh, which was quickly followed by a yawn.

"You're tired." Esme stated, turning round from the sink and eyeing me warily. "You should probably have an early night."

Emmett's face fell, a look of disappointment marring his features. He was such a big kid.

I nodded, however. An early night was exactly what I needed.

Esme smiled at my agreement. "You're rooms already made up; we've put you in the spare room on the top floor with Emmett, the one with the ensuite, that okay?"

I nodded appreciatively. "Sound's great."

"Here, I'll sort this out," she reached for my empty plate. "You go on up, you know which room it is right?"

I nodded. "Thankyou Esme."

She turned to smile at me, and our eyes met. For a moment, understanding flashed across her face as she gathered the true meaning of my appreciation, for her hospitality and kindness, even though she knew how badly I'd behaved at my previous home, and how much trouble I had been- but she had still taken me in.

"It's nothing, Edward."

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><p><strong>AN: I know there's quite a few things unexplained, but they will come out later on in the story! I know everyone says this at the end of each chapter but please let me know what you think- I don't want to carry on writing the story in a way that annoys you guys! Let me know if there's something you think I could improve on!<strong>

**Please review!  
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**Thanks for reading!**

**Anna**

**X  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of the characters... **

**A/N: Wow. So I didn't think it would take me _this _long to update :o! I've had exams over the past month so although I already had half of this chapter finished, it was near impossible to find any time to stop and write, so this is coming to you over a _month _after the last chapter... i'm so sorry! I promise that updates won't be this long with me again, I've already done most of the next chapter, so it shouldn't take too long, so please keep reading if you haven't given up on me already! This chapter's quite a bit longer than the first one too, so I hope you enjoy it :D  
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**And to those of you who reviewed, favourited, or put me on alert, thankyou so much! You guys are a-m-a-zing!  
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><p>The distant sound of gulls, and the ever present ebb and flow of the tide was the only sound that I awoke to. Light was creeping in through the gaps in the blinds, washing over the features of the room so that their silhouettes stood out, golden wisps of light illuminating the edges of the clothes chest on the right wall, my suitcase and my clothes from yesterday strewn across the cream carpet. The walls were a faint coffee colour, with dark, earth coloured drapes at the windows, and a door facing the bed that led into the bathroom.<p>

It was a fairly large bedroom, although not as big as the one I had back in New York. I much preferred the size of this one though, because I would probably have enough things to fill this room, unlike the room at the Windsor's, which had been pathetically empty.

Here, there was a desk on the window wall, and a large set of heavy wooden shelves next to it, empty, but not for long, once I bought my CD's and books in from the car. On the other side, the clothes chest was facing the wooden shelves, and next to the chest, a large, cushioned sofa. There was also a flat-screen hanging on the wall next to the door leading through to the bathroom, and a full length mirror on the other side.

The bed, which would be on the left as you walked in to the bedroom, but was opposite to the bathroom door, was large, with a thick black wrought iron frame and a large golden comforter. This was where I was, buried beneath the duvet and comforter, my head sunken in to a mass of large square pillows. I let out a content sigh, stretching out my body under the warmth of the sheets. Reluctantly, I pushed myself up, leaning on one elbow, to check the time on the bedside table, where there was an alarm clock- I had decided against setting this.

_2:03pm. Shit!_ I had been asleep for over fifteen hours, possibly a new record. Deciding I couldn't stay in bed any longer, even though I could have easily fallen asleep again, I threw back the duvet, cool air hitting my legs, having only slept in a shirt and boxers.

I heaved myself up off the bed, dragging my feet over to the bathroom. _Shower time._

I stayed in the shower for a good twenty minutes, and another ten minutes later, and I was clean and dressed. Rubbing my hand over my jaw line, I could feel a rough layer of stubble- I would need to bring in the rest of my stuff later so I could have a shave.

I had dressed myself in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of three quarter length khakis that I would be able to wear on the beach, assuming I would be going down later.

After attempting to flatten down my hair just the tiniest bit, to no avail, I headed downstairs.

I found Emmett in the kitchen, chatting away on his cell.

"Yeah man, I'll be down later... Is everyone there already? ...Yeah alright... yeah for sure... Later dude." Closing the call, Emmett turned, spotting me lurking in the doorway.

"You're up!" He beamed, his eyes lighting up with joy.

I raised my eyebrows. "You haven't kept yourself locked in the house because of me, have you?"

Emmett shrugged, walking over to one of the stools at the island and throwing himself into it. "I'm supposed to be meeting some friends down at the beach in a bit, but I thought I'd wait for you, see if you wanted to come? I was gonna' take the boards down..."

I walked in to the room, sitting down on a stool opposite Emmett. "Yeah sure, you don't mind?" I didn't want to be a tag along.

Emmett shook his head. "Nah, they all want to meet you anyway- I told them the other day you were coming."

A jolt passed through me. "You didn't tell them _why_, did you?"

A look of suspicion crossed his face. "No, but Mom and Dad didn't tell me why either, just that there were some arguments..."

I nodded. "That sums it up well enough."

Emmett paused. "Edward-"

Knowing what he was going to ask, I cut across him "-another time, Em."

He simply nodded.

After I had had some food, we spent the next hour dragging my possessions up to the top level of the house- books, CD's, my old acoustic, clothes, pictures, my laptop and the rest of the junk I had accumulated over the last few years. Once that was done, I could sense Emmett's impatience to get down to the beach, and my will power to stay up at the house any longer was also fading. The sun was high up in the sky, the temperature a good 30ᵒC. Changing my trousers for my red board shorts (Annabelle had insisted buying me a good five pairs from Hollister before we went to Hawaii last year) I was ready to go. I decided to leave my t-shirt back at the house- it was hot enough, and I doubted I would tolerate the material sticking to my torso for long. The boards were already out at the back door, and Emmett was waiting for me.

"Which one am I using?" I asked, eyeing the two boards.

One was a deep burgundy colour on the underside, with a thick black strip down it, and white colour on the top with some surf company logo on it in black. The other was a cream/white, but on the top and bottom there was a thick mustard yellow stripe down the centre.

"I normally use the red," Emmett began. "But if you'd rather-"

"The yellow's fine with me," I insisted. He grinned.

We each grabbed a board, and then set off down the narrow path between the low dunes, the sea visible over the tops of them. In next to no time, we were on the beach. The sea was startlingly blue, and the sand stretched on for a good distance each way. There were quite a few people on the beach, and Emmett started in the right direction, obviously the place he met his friends.

"So how many people are coming today?" I asked, turning to watch Emmett, who was surveying the sea.

I ran a hand through my hair as I spoke, moisture accumulating along my hairline due to the hot temperature.

Emmett turned to look at me, shrugging as he did so. "About ten, probably. There's Jasper, I don't know if you remember him, we've been friends since kindergarten..."

I nodded, an image of a lanky blonde boy popping up into my minds-eye. "Yeah, we met a few times."

"Then there will be Alice, that's his girlfriend, and her best friends Bella and er.. Rosalie," he looked away, trying to distance himself from anything he had implied through the tone of his voice. "Erm... yeah, then Mike, Tyler, James, Ben, Garrett, Tanya, Irina, Angela and Kate. Normally more people come down but a few are on holidays and most were down here yesterday."

I chuckled. "Other than not hitting on Rosalie, did you miss anything else out?"

Emmett groaned. "Shut up. But I wouldn't go near Irina if you're asking, I know we're not brothers but seeing as we're cousins it would just be-"

"Got it," I nodded.

"And Angela and Ben are a couple, as well as Kate and Garrett."

"Mhmm."

We we're now approaching a group of people, sat midway down the beach, watching two people out on the waves.

"He's down again!" A guy with scruffy brown hair laughed, leaning back to wrap his arm around a tall girl with light brown hair swinging over her back, giggling as she leant her head on to the boys shoulder.

"Such a tool," another laughed, and this one I recognised. He was tall, toned and tanned, with blonde hair that fell into sharp blue eyes, which looked up to meet Emmett and I. A large grin stretched across his face, and he jumped up.

"Em! Edward!"

He ran over, engulfing Emmett in a 'man hug' and then turning to me, doing the same. "Long time no see Edward," he beamed.

"Hi Jasper," I smiled, surprised he remembered me, but then of course, Emmett had told him I was coming.

We made our way over to the group, who were now all watching me, not the two boys surfing.

"Hi guys," Emmett waved, dropping his board on the sand. "This is my cousin Edward-remember I told you he was moving down from New York?"

They all nodded, and I received a collective group of 'hi's' as well as several waves.

I smiled back. "Hi."

Emmett individually took me round each person to introduce me, until I had a face to match everyone's name, except for Tyler and James, who were the two surfing, and Bella and Rosalie, who hadn't come down yet. Emmett had huffed when Alice had told him they were up in the town with the Private School boys.

We had reached Tanya, Irina and Kate last. Tanned, leggy, toned blondes, it wasn't hard to see why guys found them attractive. However, I made a note of the white blonde haired girl- Irina, and the one wearing her hair up in a sloppy bun, was Kate. But the third, Tanya- she was something else. Curly, strawberry blonde hair, bright blue eyes framed with thick lashes, and full pink lips, the bottom one pulled in between perfectly white teeth as she gazed up at me. I couldn't stop the immature _'she'd get it' _popping up in to my mind. Maybe I should try and maintain a good reputation here when it comes to girls, because my reputation in New York had been severely tarnished- if I had wanted, I got. I didn't want Emmett thinking his cousin was a monster.

I flashed her my crooked smile, and her cheeks flushed pink ever so slightly.

And then Emmett clapped me on the shoulder, pulling me away. I could feel Tanya's gaze on my back.

The time passed by quickly, and I even managed to pick up surfing, having not been on a board properly for a number of years. It was exhilarating, and I hadn't realised how much I enjoyed it.

We were now lying in the sand, the afternoon sun weakening ever so slightly, although it was still a good 28ᵒC. The course sand felt good on my back as it mixed with the water droplets that ran down my back. My hair was still wet from the sea, and tiny beads of water ran down my shoulders and chest.

"So, you're coming to school with us all in the fall, right?" A girl's voice asked.

Opening my eyes, I looked up to find Tanya sitting beside me, her legs crossed, rubbing lotion onto her arms as she eyed me curiously.

"Er yeah, I'm supposed to be going up there next week to get enrolled." I replied, sitting up. "I'm hoping Emmett or Carlisle will drive me though, I don't have a clue where the place is."

Tanya let out a giggle. "I thought you came up here a lot when you were little? Still don't know your way around?" She teased.

I smirked at her. "Around Wrightsville yeah... not Wilmington. Anyway, I was twelve the last time I came down here, you expect me to pay attention to what direction we drive at that age?"

She smirked back. "You look like a smart guy, I'm sure it wasn't beyond you."

I laughed. "Emmett was also twelve, I don't think he was smart enough to have jumped a few grades all the way to high school- we never went up there. Just to the Elementary."

That giggle again. It was cute. "Well, if you're looking for someone to show you around, and Emmett is a bit, er... preoccupied, as he usually is of late, I'm up for it..." she bit her lip, unsure.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying my cousin is some sort of man whore?"

Tanya leaned forward to lie on her front. "Maybe."

I chuckled. "None of that cheek and we might have a deal."

"I don't know about that," she murmured.

"Meaning?"

"You'll have to take me as I come." _Not so subtle flirting, Tanya..._

"Do you come with the bikini too?" I played along.

"If you like..." she smirked.

"I think we may have reached an agreement then," I joked, holding my hand out to shake hers.

She took my hand, laughing. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Sure is." I snickered. "About Emmett's ... 'preoccupation', though. Should I be expecting late night visitors often, do you know? Our rooms _are_ next to each other."

Tanya rolled her eyes. "If he has his way, then most probably. Once Rosalie gets her claws in to someone, I doubt they could get away if they wanted to."

"You don't sound like you're her biggest fan." I mused, my eyebrows creasing.

A look of innocence crossed Tanya's face. "Oh no, I love Rose, Bella too, just like everybody else in this town."

So there it was. Jealously, it sounded like. Rosalie Hale must really be something to have Emmett so caught up, and from Tanya's description, it didn't sound like he was the only one around here. And _Bella_ too? I vaguely remembered Emmett mentioning that she was supposed to be here, and something about a group of Private School boys from Alice, their best friend. Well... they were yet to show.

_Girls. _I thought wryly.

"Edward?" Emmett's voice rang out.

I turned to find him sitting with Jasper and Alice, all turning to face me.

I flashed Tanya a smile, pushing myself up off the ground. "Later."

I made my way over to where Emmett was sat, Jasper opposite him with Alice wrapped up in his arms.

"What's up Em?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

He was sporting a huge grin. "Jazz man has a free house this weekend."

I raised an eyebrow. "I think I see where this is going..."

"Friday, you up for it?"

I hesitated. "I don't know man..." I knew for sure that Carlisle and Esme didn't approve of my behaviour that had occurred at the Windsor's and I most certainly did not have a clean slate before that - I had lost my parents three years ago, and being in care, I had had some particularly rebellious years. I didn't want to disrespect them by going to a house party the first week I got there and doing God knows what.

"We won't tell them it's a party." Emmett guessed my thoughts. "Just that his parents are away and Jas wanted a guy's night."

My mind was flying back and forth. I couldn't lock myself away for the next year, and I didn't want to be known as Emmett's introverted, antisocial cousin. Maybe it would be okay, I doubt Esme would want me to sit at home on my own whilst Emmett went out and enjoyed himself.

"Okay," I nodded. "Count me in."

Emmett beamed, as well as Jasper.

"It's _not _going to be a guy's night though, right?" Alice looked up at Jasper sternly. With an angular face and dark cropped hair, Alice was perhaps one of the tiniest 17 year olds I had ever met, yet the expression she was giving Jasper was _scary._

"Of course not," Jasper assured her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good," Alice smiled, satisfied. "Because I already invited Bella and Rose."

"That doesn't come as much of a surprise. So are they coming down or not?"

I felt Emmett tense next to me, and Jasper threw him an amused side glance.

"No idea." Alice shrugged. "My phone died, but I doubt they'll bother now."

I felt a strange pang of disappointment. I had wanted to see what all the 'hype' with these two girls was, but now I would have to wait until another day.

**. . .**

It was fairly busy up near the pier, where the weather remained warm as the sky began to glow orange. The sun was starting its descent, interrupted only by faint clouds way out to sea.

Esme had suggested that Emmett and I should walk out for a meal, seeing as she and Carlisle were up in Durham for a dinner party, one which they had been unable to get out of.

It was now roughly eight, and Emmett had insisted he couldn't wait in any longer, because he was simply too hungry.

Meandering through the crowds, we found a small bar that served food, and grabbed seats out at the front under the canvas. Chattering aimlessly, we ordered our meal, and Emmett insisted on buying us beers, seeing as the area was apparently not strict when it came to drinking.

"So," Emmett started, as the waitress took away our finished plates. It was now completely dark outside, the stars obscured by thick clouds that had moved in off the sea. It was roughly quarter to ten.

I raised an eyebrow in question, as Emmett took a sip of his third beer.

"What did you think of everyone?" He asked, as if I should have been expecting the question.

"They were all nice," I replied, playing with the label of my Heineken. And they had been. I had found everyone I had spoken to easy to get along with and welcoming.

Emmett rolled his eyes at my brief answer. "You and Tanya seemed to be getting along pretty well."

I chuckled. "Yeah, we were just talking Emmett, doesn't mean I'm 'crushing' on her."

Emmett leaned back on the wicker chair, stretching his arms up behind his head before resting them on the chair arms. "So you don't think she's hot?"

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't say that."

Emmett smirked.

His phone, which lay on the table, lit up as it began to vibrate. He picked it up, looking at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey Mom, what's up?"

As Emmett spoke, the waitress arrived with the bill, which I paid. By the time I had finished, he was off the phone.

"Erm, so my Mom and Dad aren't coming back until tomorrow... the exhaust has gone on the car and they can't get anyone out until the morning. She said they'd probably be back around one." Emmett grimaced.

"Well that sucks for them..." I mused. "Do you want to-"... but suddenly, Emmett wasn't looking at me. He was staring at a spot above my left shoulder, transfixed.

"Em?" I asked, confused. No reply. "_Emmett?" _I hissed, leaning over the table to snap my fingers in his face. He seemed to collect himself, turning to look at me quickly, running his hand through his hair to try and distract himself.

"That's Rosalie, over there." He simply nodded his head in to the direction he was staring. "Don't turn around, she's coming over."

I snorted. "Emmett, you are so _whipped!"_

"_Shut up man!" _Emmett hissed.

This sent me into a fit of laughter, perhaps because the beer had gone to my head ever so slightly. Emmett was blushing furiously, which I found hilarious. I sank in my seat, managing to stop my laughter, although a smirk remained, as I felt someone approaching behind me.

"You could have told me you were up in the town Em." I looked up to see who was standing over our table, and I had to do a double take. _This _was who Emmett had been seeing? _Lucky son of a bitch. _I thought to myself, before internally retracting my statement, because Esme wasn't a bitch.

I was looking at a tall, slender, tanned girl, with killer legs and a figure that would put most models to shame. Her face was flawless, with high cheekbones, a defined jaw, full lips, and ice blue eyes framed with thick lashes. Thick, wavy blonde hair fell to her stomach, which was visible due to the bikini top (covering what were certainly fine assets) and open flannel shirt she was wearing, along with ripped denim shorts that showed off her toned legs. _This _was Rosalie Hale.

"I could say the same to you," Emmett raised his eyebrows, teasing, but it was obvious he was covering up his annoyance.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, before turning to look at me. "Are you going to sit and be rude, Emmett, or are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

I raised an eyebrow at her forwardness, for which she eyed me curiously.

Emmett groaned in annoyance at her evasion of an excuse. "Rosalie, this is my _cousin,_ Edward Cullen. Ed, this rude lady who just strutted up and interrupted our meal is Rosalie Hale."

Rosalie smirked. "I'm sure you appreciated my interruption Emmett, don't deny it. Nice to meet you Edward- so you're the cousin from New York?"

I raised my hand in greeting. "Yeah that's me. Hey."

She eyed me, somewhat appreciatively, before moving round the table to sit down in the chair next to Emmett. I had to force myself not to stare at her legs as she moved. _She's with your cousin man. _

"Sure, Rose, join us why don't you." Emmett gave her a cold look, which surprised me, considering how hung up he seemed to be over her. _Must be some kind of love/hate relationship going on here..._

She smiled at Emmett, then at me. "Oh don't mind me, I'm just waiting for Bella, she's trying to get Alex Taylor to buy us some liquor, and then we're off god knows where."

Emmett shook his head. "And I always thought Bella was so innocent."

Rosalie leaned forward to pick up Emmett's half finished beer, bringing it to her lips before taking a drag, watching Emmett as she did so. He kept his cool pretty well as she placed the bottle back in front of him. "She has her moments," Rosalie smirked, never taking her eyes off of Emmett. It didn't go unnoticed to me as she slipped her right hand on to his thigh, her thumb running circles at his knee.

Still looking effortlessly cool, Emmett grinned at her. "Well, you're welcome to drink your liquor at mine, my parents are out of town for the night."

I rolled my eyes- so much for my talk with Emmett about trying to keep on his parent's good side.

"We may just do that, here she is now."

I looked up as a girl approached our table, and this time, I had to force myself to keep my mouth shut. What I was looking at, must be the closest thing to perfection I was ever going to see.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter, we meet Bella! I hope you liked it, and please tell me if there's anything you're not liking about the way I'm writing this, I'm happy to take on positive criticism to try and make this better reading. The next chapter WILL be up soon, but please _review_ and tell me what you think anyway, and the next one may just be up a bit quicker, especially seeing as I left this one so late!**

**Also, if you're reading this, then I'm guessing you read the chapter too, so thanks!**

**Anna**

**X**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...**

**A/N: Huuuuge apologies! I'm finding it so hard to get time to write, that it's becoming a very rare occasion. Most of this chapter was already written when I put up chapter 2, but there was a bit of editing needed and I got really stuck with how to finish the chapter! I hope it isn't too much of a let down after your extremely long wait.  
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**Can I also say thankyou to those of you (if you're reading this!) who reviewed, alerted or favourited. It really is appreciated to know that someone is reading what you have written. I am now officially free for the summer, so hopefully I should have some more time to write after my exams!**

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><p>She only had a light tan, but her skin was flawless. Her eyes were wide, and a deep brown, with long, full lashes, fluttering beneath perfectly shaped brows. Bella's lips were pink and full, the bottom lip jutting out below the top, and she had hair as long as Rosalie's, only it was wavier, and brown. She too wore her bikini, although she was wearing a pair of navy cotton Hollister shorts, and a loose, semi see-through white t-shirt. The shorts showed off a pair of sensational legs, and I had to force myself to not ogle. Suddenly, I wasn't so annoyed at Emmett for inviting the girls over.<p>

"Hey Emmett," she beamed, the smile lighting up her face, showing perfectly white teeth.

"Hi Bella," Emmett grinned lazily, Rosalie still running her hand along his leg. "Bell this is my cousin, Edward, remember I told you he was moving down?"

Bella turned to look at me, and a fierce blush instantly spread across her cheeks as our eyes connected. It was damn adorable.

"Uh, hi," she sounded breathless, and I couldn't resist flashing her my crooked smile.

"Nice to meet you Bella."

She nodded, as Emmett shifted in his chair out of the corner of my eye. Deciding I shouldn't just stare at the poor girl, I turned to see Emmett stand up, Rosalie's hand falling to her side as he offered her a smug smile.

"We should get going, we already paid, I think they're closing soon."

"Oh, where are we going?" I turned to look at the voice of perfection, as Bella stood there, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Emmett has a free house," Rosalie smiled, also standing up, her hair falling over her shoulder as she ran a hand through the long strands.

Bella nodded, her eyes darting to me again. She looked away immediately as she saw I was watching her.

"Well, seeing as we're with you, one of you boys can carry this," she held up a bag, two bottles of spirit clanking against each other. I'm guessing we're walking?" She asked, eyeing the bottles of beer on the table.

"Sure thing," Emmett nodded, picking his beer up and downing the rest. I mimicked him, also standing up as we simultaneously moved away from the bar, and out on to the wooden decking along the sea front. Rosalie immediately went for the bag of liquor, pulling out a bottle of vodka and untwisting the cap. She took a long drink, screwing up her face as she pulled the bottle from her mouth.

Emmett looked at her expectantly, expecting to receive the bottle from her next, but instead, she turned to me.

"Edward," she smiled playfully, offering the bottle up to my mouth.

"Uh, not for me thanks. It never gets me anywhere good." I sighed, pulling up the hood of my maroon zip up hoodie as I felt a drop of rain on my cheek.

Rosalie shook her head. "There's always a first. Besides, you're in for a pretty tedious night if you're the only one sober."

I chuckled. "Well, if you put it like that..." I took the bottle from her, taking a drag, enjoying the burn that spread down my throat. Pulling the bottle away from my mouth, I made to hand the bottle back to Rosalie.

She shook her head again. "Uh uh, one more drink, for good luck."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

A smug look crossed her face. "Of course."

Rolling my eyes, I took another drink, before passing the bottle back to her. She passed the bottle on to Bella as we set off walking, Emmett leading the way as I followed, not really knowing where we were going, especially in the dark. The sound of the waves lapping the shore was loud, and from the descent we were taking, I was guessing that it was leading us down to the beach. I turned to watch as Bella took a drink from the bottle, her perfect lips wrapping around the bottle top as she took a gulp, her eyes scrunching as she did so. She too made to hand the bottle back to Rosalie, but I intervened.

"Hey, if I have to take two drinks, so does Bella," I grinned, as Rosalie smirked too, pushing the bottle back in Bella's direction.

"Good point Edward."

Bella rolled her eyes, taking another drink before passing it back to Rosalie.

"God that's disgusting." She managed, as Rosalie skipped forward to Emmett.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why drink it?"

She shrugged. "Why drink when you know you'll probably have a God awful hangover the next day?"

I smirked at her. "Touché."

Rosalie came back with the bottle, explaining that Emmett had begun to help himself to the other bottle in the bag he was carrying.

Bella and I walked in silence for a few minutes, as we eventually reached the beach, sand spilling in to my shoes. I was hyper aware of her presence beside me. This was the Bella that I had heard about all day. The one that 'everybody loved', according to Tanya, the one that I had been curious about all day- and just like that, here she was.

"Why did you move?"

The question startled me. I hadn't been expecting Bella to speak, after we had both been walking in an awkward silence.

"Sorry?" It was a reflex. I knew what she had said, but I had been surprised by her question, and my first thought was to question her in return.

I could just make out her bowing her head slightly in the dark. Was she embarrassed?

"Well, I can sort of understand why you wouldn't want to be in the city all the time, but we we're speaking about it the other night." She took a breath. "Rose, Alice and I. Alice thinks you're crazy, she can't understand why anyone would want to be _away_ from New York, but then again, she's fashion crazy, so it _would _be the best place for her to be..."

She was rambling. I let out a low chuckle. She was _nervous. _Did _I _make her nervous?

"You were speaking about me?" I cut in, curious. The intensity of the rain increased, and the temperature had certainly dropped. The sound of waves lashing the shore was much louder, and I was thinking maybe we had drifted accidently towards the sea. Rosalie and Emmett were still visible in front of us.

Bella let out a soft groan. "That sounds really bad, we really don't just sit and gossip about people all the time," she defended. "Rose brought you up the other day, when she was speaking about Emmett, we just wondered what you would be like, seeing as Emmett's... well... _Emmett_."

I let out a laugh at that. "Let me guess, you were expecting a big, brawny guy, with huge muscles who wore considerably better clothes than Emmett?"

Bella giggled. "Kinda."

I snorted. "Sorry to disappoint."

She laughed again- it was like music, she sounded so carefree.

We had been passing the bottle of vodka back and forth throughout our conversation, and I was starting to feel the familiar numbness of my lips, a warmth in my ears and a pleasant floating sensation.

Then, out of nowhere, there was a blinding flash of light, just a hundred metres away over the sea. Lightning.

It was followed immediately by the deafening clap of thunder.

The rain suddenly reached torrential level, firing down hard, the wind whipping it against my exposed skin.

"Oh _shit..._" I started, as I heard Bella's gasp of surprise next to me.

Instinctively, we had moved closer together, and I could hear Bella breathing shallowly in panic besides me. "How far from your house are we?" She winced.

I shrugged, even though she probably couldn't see me in the dark. "I have no idea, let's catch up with Emmett and Rosalie."

She took a deep breath, before agreeing. "Okay."

Despite the sound of rain lashing the sea, and the whistling of the wind, that seemed ice cold on skin, the sound of panting breath as Bella and I hurried across the beach and feet kicking sand seemed to be the sole sound reaching my ears. I didn't want to admit that I was slightly freaked to have a storm right on top of us, but Bella, it seemed, was far worse.

I had grabbed her hand, in an attempt to get her to keep up with me. It was as cold as ice, yet it seemed to send a shot of adrenaline through my body. However, I could practically feel her entire body shaking. She must have been freezing.

We caught up with Emmett and Rosalie eventually. They were headed in the direction of the dunes (and what must have been the path leading up to the house) with Rosalie on Emmett's back, her chin resting on his shoulder. I could only just make them out when there was another flash of lightning, this time striking the shoreline. The rain pounded down harder than ever, and sand whipped exposed skin as the wind blasted it across the beach.

Another loud clap of thunder, just as the beach started to incline, and suddenly, the wind seemed to cut out slightly. We were surrounded by dunes, and although there was nothing to shelter us from the rain, the sand dunes seemed to block out the harsh sea air.

Another ten seconds, and a warm, yellow glow appeared ahead, in what I assumed was Emmett arriving at the house. Several long bounds, and we were under the shelter of the back patio, both of us panting hard.

"Mother... fuck..." I gasped, running a hand through my sopping hair as I released Bella's hand.

I heard a chuckle and looked up to see Emmett leaning on the back door frame leading in to the kitchen. "We were wondering how far behind you two were, you better come in, it's freezing, Rose is making a fire."

I nodded, turning to look at Bella. Her long, mahogany hair was plastered to her skin, her face pale and her lips almost blue. Droplets of rain were dripping from her eyelashes and her lips, and that semi-transparent t-shirt she had on was clinging to her torso.

I began to remove my shoes, and Bella, who looked completely shell shocked, mimicked me once she observed my actions.

She was still shaking, so I moved aside and gestured for her to go inside first, as Emmett stepped back, rubbing her shoulders as she slipped through the door, past him in to the kitchen and out of sight.

I followed her in as Emmett locked the back door behind me, and was greeted with the beautiful warmth of the Cullen home.

"I think the girls are in the living room," Emmett nodded in the direction where the low murmur of conversation could be heard. "Man that shit me up!"

I grinned at Emmett, shivering slightly. "Me too. Can we continue this conversation by the fire though? I'm fucking freezing."

Emmett chuckled. "Sure thing."

We both made our way in to the living area, where there were two huge cream couches, complete with the squishiest cushions you could get. They were positioned at a right angle to one another, facing the large fire place, with a flat-screen television to the right of the fire place. There were three tall windows with square panes, although Rosalie was currently pulling the drapes on them to insulate the room. There was also a plush carpet under foot that felt like heaven on my cold, bare feet.

Bella was sat on the floor by the fire, and, dear god, she had removed the white t-shirt, leaving her in her bikini top and mini shorts. The t-shirt was drying in front of the fire, and I had to try very hard not to stare at Bella's toned stomach, not to mention what was almost visible underneath her bikini top- well, it _was _cold. I awkwardly averted my gaze.

Rosalie had also removed her flannel shirt, along with her denim shorts. Maybe it was better I keep my eyes on the floor?

"Errm..." begun Emmett apprehensively. Clearly, he felt the same. "Do you two want to borrow some clothes?"

Bella turned around at the sound of his voice, as did Rosalie, who simply smirked.

"Would you rather I did Emmett? Only that's not what you were saying-"

"Some clothes would be lovely, Em." Bella cut in, rolling her eyes at her friend jokingly, although she was still pale and trembling. I could see straight through the false bravado, and her eyes still reflected terror, as well as something unidentifiable.

Rosalie bit her lip devilishly, eyeing Bella, before looking at me, then Emmett. "I would have thought you would be changing too, your clothes are soaking."

Emmett rolled his eyes, before winking in Rosalie's direction and removing his t-shirt, tossing it in the direction where the other clothes were drying. "I'll go and get you some clothes now."

Deciding it was probably for the best, seeing as it wouldn't get me any warmer, I tugged my shirt off nonchalantly, before turning towards the hall. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna' go and get changed too..."

I could feel eyes on my back as I followed Emmett out of the room, although I chose to ignore them. I found it quite amusing how Rosalie seemed to play games with Emmett.

'_Once Rosalie gets her claws in to someone, I doubt they could get away if they wanted to'._ Tanya's words echoed in my head, and by the looks of things, she was probably right.

I trudged up the staircase, reaching my bedroom in no time, and grabbing a pair of old grey sweat pants and a t-shirt. Digging out a pair of socks, I ran my fingers through my hair several times in the mirror, before heading back down.

What on earth had just happened? I now felt completely sober due to the complete shock of the thunderstorm, yet I was never usually shook up from those kinds of storms. Bella, on the other hand, was like a wreck. I would have thought that she would be used to those types of storms, yet she was the worst here, and had still not settled. She seemed disturbed.

These thoughts playing on my mind, I set off down the staircase, reaching the second floor, where I found Emmett with a pile of clothes in his arms.

"Em, what are you-?" But before I could finish my question, Emmett put a finger up to his lips, shushing me. He had been hovering at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping.

I strained my ears, listening. The unmistakable sound of sobbing could be heard, emitting from the living room.

"Is that-?" I begun, alarmed, looking at Emmett. He nodded quickly to cut me off.

"Come in my room a minute..." I nodded, following him back up the stairs to where his bedroom was.

Emmett's room was roughly the same as mine, although there were more pictures and posters adorning the walls in here, and one wall was a dark red colour to match the comforter on his bed. There was also a faint smell of whatever after shave Emmett used, and several items of clothing were slung carelessly over the back of his desk chair, which Emmett had just thrown himself into, spinning it round on its wheels to face me.

"What's going on?" I asked, unsure, placing myself on the end of Emmett's bed.

Emmett hesitated, his eyes on the desk window. He spun the chair he sat in side to side a few times, before answering.

"Bella... well, she... gets a bit... freaked... when she gets stuck out like that on the beach. It's happened before, I think, but I was never there. Apparently the same thing happened last summer when there was a beach party, but I was in Phuket, so..."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Emmett? She doesn't like thunderstorms?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. I don't really like telling people this, I mean, Bella hates people talking about it, but" he paused, his eyes moving to an ESA competition poster on the wall to his right to avoid my gaze. "Her brother died two years ago on a smaller beach further down the coast."

I felt like a brick wall had just slammed in to me. Guilt, riddled with curiosity took over my body with the explanation to Bella's tears downstairs. Having had a relevant enough encounter with close family fatalities, I was not one to go snooping around for gossip on the how, when and where of other peoples misfortunes.

However, Emmett had not finished speaking. "Him and some of his friends had gotten too drunk at a party further South, and decided to go surfing at like 1 am. Obviously, there wasn't much thought in to how safe it was. It was a pretty bad beach to surf on, apparently there's rocks everywhere, but there was a massive storm, and, well... it's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

I felt a shiver pass through me that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. _What a horrible way to go... _Was the thought racing through my mind. I tried not to picture it. The rocks, the sheer force of the waves, the rain and the wind.

"Edward?" Emmett asked warily.

"That's... shit, that's awful..." were my only words. My eyes were now trained on my feet, and I felt terrible for knowing the truth.

"Just, please, don't say anything will you? I mean, I know you wouldn't, but..." he trailed off.

I nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it."

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><p><strong>AN: I know it isn't super long or anything, but this (at the end of the chapter) is going to be a _big_ part to the story and the relationship that Edward and Bella have. Does anyone think a BPOV would be worth reading? It wouldn't be her POV in this chapter, but it would explain some of the things going on in her mind! **

**Your thoughts in reviews would be so appreciated, and I promise promise _promise_ that the next chapter will be up in 2 weeks maximum.  
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**If you have just read this, then you read the chapter too(I hope), so thankyou!  
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**Anna  
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**X  
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